Improvement in stop-valves



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EDMUND RUSSELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN STOP-VALVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,689, dated Augustl, 1871.

VTo all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND RUSSELL, of

Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Stop-Valves, of which thefollowing' is a specification:

It has long been common to provide a soft or yielding face to the valvewith the view to better adapt it to variations in the seat and insure atight fit. Vulcanized rubber alone, or in combination with othermaterials, has been used, and the compound of'1' lu1nbago, rubber, andpindust, which I prefer to employ, has been before employed for thispurpose, but I have provided novel means ofl overcoming a difficultywhich has hitherto been serious.

I employ a guard-ring around the exterior of the packing, and leayeitYfree to slip upward or backward from the seat, as required, the motionbeing resisted only by friction. I make a pretty tight fit of the parts,so that there is considerable friction to resist this backward motion ofthe ring, and provide adequate means for pre venting the ring from everslipping downward toward the'seat too far in the first instance. Thering, being exactly fiush with the surface of the soft material when thevalve is new, slips backward a very little -under the pressure withwhich the valve is screwed down to its seat, but not sufficiently toexpose any surface of the soft material to the abrasive action of thecurrent of steam or other fluid passing the valve. The backward-slippingmotion is repeated as often as required, the soft material graduallywea-ring away, but enduring much longer than when, as usual, theprotecting-ring or guard-ring is adjusted by hand, and is necessarilymade to expose a considerable surface of the soft material below itslower edge when it is first set back.

Another part of my invention relates to pro- Yvisions for increasing theperfection of the fit when, as is sometimes the case, the soft materialis entirely removed. I provide a narrow ridge on the valve, whichiiattens itselfl a little as it is crushed down firmly upon the seat,and aids to induce a better it and a tighter joint than would beotherwise possible.

Following is a description of what I consider the best means of carryingout the invention.

The accompanying drawing forms a part of this specification, andrepresents a central verentirely worn which firmly tical section of theconstruction with the valve closed. The scale is full size.

A is the fixed casing, and a the smoothly-finished seat for the valve. Bis the body of the valve, and b a sharp ridge formed thereon, presentedtoward the seat c in such position that when the soft material is by anyaccident or other cause out, lost, or removed, the annular ridge b maybe compressed fairly upon the plane surface ofthe seat." Under ordinaryconditions, however, the ridge b will be of' no effect. C is a ring-vof'packing or seating material, which I have above termed soft material. Itis preferably made of plumbago, rubber, and fine metallic and earthymatter produced by the grinding of pin-points on fine stones,technically known as pin-dust. This materialis well known in the arts,and'is easily produced in the proper form, with a recess adapting it toallow properly for the ridge b. D is a thin ring or nicely-finishedband, of brass or other suitable material, finished very truly on itsinner surface, and forced somewhat tightly over the periphery of thevalve and the soft material or packing C. The lower edge of the ring Dis turned truly to make a close iit upon the plane surface a of theseat. The upper edge of the ring D may be less nicely finished. I preferto leave it somewhat irregular. After it is firmly in place I burnishover the upper edge of the ring s0 that it forms an internal lip to holdthe ring D against slipping downward too far in consequence of any blowor other cause. If the upper edge of the ring D is smooth, theburnishing of it over will form a regular internal lip. If its upperedge is irregular or reaches upward to a sufficient extent only at a fewpoints, those points only will be burnished over, but that will besufficient. G is a washer which 4covers a small portion of the packing'material C, and H is a nut compresses it thereon, as will be obvious.

In the use of the valve the rapid flow of the steam or other fiuid wearsaway the soft material C very slowly, and in proportion as it is removedthe main body B, with its attachments, is screwed down further to closethe valve. As this movement progresses the ring D, being pressedforcibly with its lower edge upon the seat a., is moved slightlybackward upon the main body B, and its friction holds it firmly in theposition in which it is left after each movement. Its lower edge ispractically ush with the working face of the soft material C at :llstages. When from any cause the material C is entirely removed, the mainbody B is screwed downward to a considerable extent t0 close the valve,and under these conditions the narrow ridge b attens itself' slightlyupon the seat a, and forms a tight joint additional to the approximatelytight joint made by the edge of the ring D, which still remains of someservice. rEhe inner surface of the ring D, being bored or otherwiseformed truly cylindrical, offers the same resistance to slip back afterit has been pressed back to this great extent as at first.

The general construction of the casing A, the screw which operates thevalve, the stuffing-box, stand, hand-wheel, 85o., may be all modifiedvery greatly in form; so may be the thickness and other proportions ofpart C, and of thc several other parts. The material may be also changedwithin considerable wide limits.

I claim as my inventionl. The within-described stop-valve, having theslip-rin g D arranged as represented to guard the soft material C, andstand with its lower edge flush with the working surface thereof underall conditions, so long as the soft material remains.

2. The within-described combination and arrangement of the soft packing@,protecting-rmg D, and the ridge b on the main body B, arranged toserve relatively to each other and to the seat a of a stop-valve, as andfor the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

EDMUND RUSSELL.

Witnesses:

H. M. BRnwsTnR,

G. C. LrvINGs.

